


Parallels - The Severus Snape Files

by purplecyphers



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, M/M, Multiple Pairings, Severus Snape Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:53:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23865571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplecyphers/pseuds/purplecyphers
Summary: Multiple suppositions of random encounters all based on the premise that Severus Snape survived being attacked in the Shrieking Shack. (Each chapter has a different AU and different pairing.) [Part of the Snape BigBang 2019/2020]
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape, Hermione Granger/Severus Snape, Severus Snape/Ron Weasley
Kudos: 50
Collections: Snape Bigbang 2019





	1. Inital Summary

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me suddenly on a public bus. Took 10 years to finish, all for the sake of exploring various pairings while also giving Severus some justice in his untimely end.
> 
> Art embedded into each chapter at their relevant points, drawn by snapeislife and [posted on tumblr](https://snapeislife.tumblr.com/post/616509915560853504).

Officially, Severus Tobias Snape was dead. 

And that was exactly what he wanted the Wizarding world to believe. It was easier that way, being dead, it allowed him to get away. While he knew that certain stubborn Gryffindors would see to it he was honoured as a hero, something he might have wanted at one time, but after everything, a simple life seemed the better option now. Definitely somewhere outside the United Kingdom, where he could relax and not worry about being recognised, maybe have a chance at real love in all its forms, be it friends or a lover or a family all his own. He doubted the latter would happen, that sort of thing eluded him long enough that likely, it was never going to be. 

Taking a passed down page from the Pureblood grandfather he never knew personally, Severus spent years building up his body's immunity to various poisons, including Nagini’s after the Dark Lord’s return with her in tow. Of course, healing the wounds and keeping potions for blood loss and injury on his person at all times was also helpful, it couldn’t diminish his naturally developed responses. The key to fooling everyone was a simple Golem, set to take on his appearance at a moment's notice. It was a few hours after he was left alone, the sky still dark and ominous, and an ache through his body which he knew would take some time to completely be rid of. There wasn’t as much blood as he expected, and the hole left in his neck needed tending to, but not before activating the Golem. Careful to not disturb the marks of the floor best as possible, he stepped away from the scene of his ‘death’, taking in how the setup for whomever would come upon this scene later, if anyone cared enough. Severus was too cynical to expect that Potter, Weasley, or Granger were going to return to this building for his body once they secured victory, if they won at all, although that is no longer any of his concern. 

He was almost angry at himself for the weakness shown when he begged Potter to look at him, felt almost as if he’d been laid bare for just a moment. Certainly he couldn’t show any pride at these children for being able to survive such atrocities at the surface, but he'd wanted to. Weasley and Granger were mostly hidden from view, but he noted with satisfaction that they all seemed honestly appalled by his ‘death’. At least now he had done what he promised Dumbledore he would, and in leaving those memories, he had also completed a post-mortem promised to Lily to make sure her son was safe. Somehow Severus knew Harry Potter would survive the Killing Curse one more time, and in it, ensure the end of Tom Riddle. 

In the Dark Lord’s actions, Severus had been set free, and he wasn't going to fuck up this chance, not when everything was in place for him to make a great escape, no matter the outcome of the night. 

Over the years, more often since Potter started at Hogwarts, he began the plan to disappear sometime after taking on the Potions Master position. The idea was that, since no one in the Wizarding world would look for him in the Muggle world, he had made legal documents and a bank account in his father’s name, which was easy given the man died many years previous from alcohol poisoning some years after his mother’s passing. Without question and with discretion, the goblins would then take however much he asked for, converted and deposited it into the Muggle account on a somewhat regular basis. Most of it just collected interest, some went to bills and taxes on Spinner’s End, paid timely and regularly. However, since the beginning of that school year, the property was no longer a drain, for the small one it had been, as he sold it back to the bank. Something about building on the site and needing everyone to sell, which he was more than happy to oblige, and the timing couldn’t have been better. He didn’t know how long selling the dilapidated home would have taken, but practically giving the land up for more than it was reasonably worth made his plan easier to execute. 

Now there was less tying him to the past, as he stood in the broken doorway of the shack, more than before. Getting a passport for international travel in his father’s name was also easier than he thought it would be, but that had more to do with how distanced he’d become with the Muggle world. With Hogwarts and Hogsmeade so far from any Muggle town, he had to Apparate somewhere closer, Dundee or Perth being the best options, and get himself back to Manchester, where he had the last of his things collected. After that, he would go onto London, to Heathrow, to go anywhere he felt like. A whole new road ahead, and in the darkest hour of the day, he ran to a safe point of departure, ready to leave the world that was once home, and start his life over.


	2. Addition 01 - Harry Potter - 2004

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art embedded with permission of the artist snapeislife as [posted on tumblr](https://snapeislife.tumblr.com/post/616509915560853504)

It was humid but dry, exactly what he was prepared for—Auror training had done that, had made him ready for anything—and he only hoped this holiday was everything he needed. Harry didn’t want to take the time off, but it was either that or being put on suspension, meaning no more field work, and he wasn’t going to let that happen. Ron suggested somewhere in the States, a real tourist spot like Florida, going to DisneyWorld and Universal Studios, and doing things that made up for "lost time", but the former hero picked a different location. Not really understanding the Muggle fascination with theme parks, Harry decided on heading to New York City, and Dudley offered to go with. It was a chance for them to rebuild some bridges with his family, now that the air was somewhat cleared between them all. 

(Aunt Petunia was civil now, Uncle Vernon was distant but no longer caustic, and he was more patient with them, having come to understand some of the issues they both had had all these years. Neither of them wanted to ask, but when Dudley wanted all the details of all his years at Hogwarts, and especially the Second Wizarding War, they didn’t leave the room or protest, instead listening intently as he tried to give only important details. It took a few hours, but later, his Aunt talked to him about his mum and Snape privately, but he expected that the moment they stayed. The next day, his Uncle was genuinely polite to him, for the normally gruff man. He knew that the relationship with his Aunt and Uncle would never get anywhere to what one would call close, but the little amount of progress was good enough for him.) 

They were doing the normal tourist rounds, Dudley having chastised Harry for always being on guard and how he wasn't enjoying the sights like a tourist, hard as it was to put aside his training, but after being put off for nearly two days by rain, they were on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, one of the many iconic spots they'd had on the list, filled with about a dozen tourists, what seemed like some locals, and a couple of school groups. While Dudley was in the lavatory, not too worried about them being separated on such a small boat, Harry leisurely walked around when something caught his eye; something he knew was impossible, someone who he knew to be dead. ‘It couldn’t be,’ he thought, covertly trying to get closer, needing to know if he was imagining things or not. Just when he got to the spot, the figure was gone, and he swore aloud, getting annoyed and dirty looks from the people around. Meeting back up when the ferry was docking, Dudley and Harry decided on their plan, wanting to take in the history, and as they made their way around, the bespectacled young man forgot about what he saw, forgot about his worry. 

They had fun, following the tour, learning history they were only passingly taught in primary and secondary school, at least the latter for Dudley, since Harry was at Hogwarts by then; he'd begun taking makeup classes with Hermione because they wanted to live comfortably in both worlds, some of the work they were going over the same as his cousin at university, who gladly worked with them while becoming somewhat friends with her and Ron as well during the process. It was as they were heading back out to walk around the base that Harry caught sight of him again, this time clearly and fully, albeit with shorter hair, yet there was no mistaking his senses. 

_Severus Snape was alive_. And on a tourist trap in America? 

On the ferry back to the mainland, Harry kept a feel for where his target went, but was afraid to tell Dudley exactly why he was on alert. 

“C’mon Harry, you know no one would believe me anyhow.” 

“I just thought I saw someone I knew, but I didn’t know they were over here.” 

“You really think I’m going to believe that?” 

“Really, I can’t say any more than that, promise.” 

“So Wizards have classified information just like us Muggles, good to know,” Dudley whispered that last bit, even though there weren’t many people around them. 

“Yeah, considering Aurors are like the police, and I’d rather not lose my job, I guess that’s the most I can ever say.” 

“It’s okay, at least you know you can trust me, right?” 

“Yeah,” Harry smiled, “and I think that’s great.” He looked around, making sure his target didn’t get lost. “So after we get to the mainland, I want you to take a taxi right back to our hotel, okay?” 

“Hey, I can take care of myself. I’m not a scrawny kid you know.” That made them both laugh. 

“You’re right, but I cannot help being on edge, it's how I was trained, and you’re my family.” 

“Damn,” Dudley paused, looking at his cousin’s face and the worry in his eyes. “Well I’m hungry and a bit tired anyway, so I’ll head back to the hotel and get something to eat there, okay?” 

“Sounds good,” and they tried to enjoy the rest of the ferry ride, even with Harry’s attention split between two things. 

* * *

With Dudley in a taxi, Harry was free to follow his target, doing so under a clever disguise, masquerading as the busboy from their hotel, and heading into Alphabet City. He went around in circles, obviously because he had put the other man off a bit, but he’d learned some new tricks over the last few years, and wasn’t going to let this go so easily. They reached a condominium, with a clean, modernised face and a locked door, where the target put in a code before entering, and Harry saw him smiling in the window’s reflection. The target might have realised he was being followed and knew there were enough flats that Harry would have trouble finding him. Good thing he had recently been taught a tricky charm that could utilise the fingerprints, and he could choose from the most recent easily to find the door he went into. 

Picking up something to eat first, and l checking if there was another way into the building without tricking someone, he went to check out the nearby pub that caught his eye, finding the food choices familiar and a welcome bit of home. As he was being handed a plate of bangers and mash, his target walked in, barely looking around before heading right to the bar. It amazed Harry to see a bright and wide smile on a face that, in all his memories, was stern and hard; there was a light in those dark eyes which made them less formidable, and his skin was a healthy pallor, possibly a shade darker from living outside of a castle’s dungeons in the cloudy mountain side of Scotland. Harry couldn’t help listening to the conversation as he ate, pretending to be just another local patron. 

“Toby!” 

“Keith, how are you?” 

“Good, you?” 

“Just got back from Liberty Island, can check that off the list now.” 

“Yeah, I don’t get the appeal.” 

“Apparently it’s something only people who weren’t raised around here get, because there were very few locals that weren’t school children there.” 

“Yeah, that’s normal now, but they didn’t do that when I was at the 34.” 

“I didn’t realise you grew up around here.” 

“Yeah, not a big deal. So, what’ll ya have?” 

“I think I’ll get my usual to go,” he said, finally looking around. 

“Got it,” Keith walked into the back, presumably to get Snape’s usual. 

Resting his back against the bar, the older man looked around again, this time scrutinising even the darkest corners, his face taking on a look Harry knew well, and one that meant he would be caught soon if he wasn’t careful. Before Snape got to him, his order was ready, being exchanged for a few bills, and the man was quick to leave. Almost as if he knew Harry was there. Thinking of his next move and finishing his meal, the Auror asked the bartender about the recent customer. 

“He’s more than a regular, works here most nights, helps the place seem kinda authentic, if you know what I mean.” 

“He seemed very interesting.” 

“Yeah, but he’s really private.” 

“I bet,” he nodded, knowing that fact well. 

“If you need to talk to him, he’s set to work tonight.” It was said as if Harry's interest was something more.

“Good to know,” he said, and thanked the man for everything. He left the pub, feeling good about his chances of finding out more about Snape that night. He decided to walk two blocks away before Apparating back to a spot near the hotel; he could have easily popped into their shared room and Dudley wouldn’t have cared, but he hated seeing the initial shock of his sudden appearance. Taking a shower, Harry tried dressing in something more comfortable for the chill that set in at night, so he could easily mingle with the Muggles. Stepping out and finding his cousin munching on a pickle slice that came with his club sandwich. 

“When’d you get back?” 

“Less than an hour ago, just Apparated nearby and came in.” 

“In a rush?”

“I wanted to get ready and check up on him tonight. Don’t want him seeing a different face in the same clothes as somebody else from this afternoon, you know?” 

“Is that what you were trained to do?” 

“Yes actually, but I’m doing this for myself.” 

“Why is it so important to you?” 

Harry paused before answering, almost uncertain himself. “He saved me and I thought he died, so I just want to know if his new life has made him happy.” 

“Well, after all you’ve told me, I think I can understand why you’d want to know.” Dudley nodded, a very serious look on his face. “Does this mean you’re never going to tell me who it is?” 

“Right now, it’s best I not, but that doesn’t mean I’ll never tell you,” he grinned, running a brush through his perpetually messy wet hair again. “Don’t wait up for me, okay?” 

“Look for a sign on the door, cause I’m heading down to the bar tonight.” Dudley wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. 

“Good luck with that Dud,” he laughed, heading out the door. 

* * *

There were a lot in the pub that night, and the bar had three other people working it with Snape, who was chatting up many regulars in his corner, flirting with both the men and women. Harry wasn’t sure if he was imagining things, but after all the time he’d spent in bars over the last few years, and all the flirting he’d done with women and men, he would never have believed that it was possible that his snarky and sarcastic ex-professor believed dead would be, at first glance, bisexual. It was hard to avoid the evidence though, especially those winks he only gave the guys. That was the most disturbing thing, seeing him truly happy. The energy was genuine, the smile was real, and there was a familiar light in his eyes that brightened his face. 

‘Oh hell,’ he thought suddenly, ‘I’m finding him attractive? That’s insane!’ 

But it was true; seeing Snape in this setting, where he was completely off-guard, was giving the young man a view he’d never been privy to before, at least not with the adult version, since memories only can give so much insight to the person they are from. And this was someone Harry very much wanted insight to. Lost in thought, he missed a serious look from the older Wizard, changing quickly when he was under scrutiny again, waiting for the next order as the happy hour ended. That was when the Auror decided it was best to approach, moving with a casual step, taking a seat against the wall, knowing that bartenders alternated spots during the night. He knew that staying in a single place would get him noticed, but that was the plan, wanting Snape to feel safe about the encounter before the façade broke, if that scenario would even occur. 

It was nearly three hours after he got to that seat before Snape was starting to really get unnerved, especially working on his drink now, a local cocktail that someone suggested some time before while he was waiting. 

“You’ve been sitting here a long time, have you been stood up?” It was common for bartenders to talk to patrons, but it had never been common for Snape to sound nice, possibly worried, over anyone, least of all a supposed stranger. 

“I’m waiting, but not for someone to meet me,” Harry said, hoping that would get to him. 

“Who are you waiting for then?” 

“For him to get off work.” 

“What does he do?” 

“Bartending.” He was rewarded with a single eyebrow rising questioningly. 

“So someone who works here then?” He was definitely interested, albeit on guard. 

“Yes,” he said simply, knowing that shirting this issue could ruin his chance. 

“Why, if you don’t mind me asking?” He was trying to sound nonchalant, but Harry knew better. 

“Because I find him intriguing and wanted to know if he’d be willing to go somewhere else so we could get to know each other,” he smiled his boyish grin, having checked that the face looked attractive enough when doing so. 

“What makes you think he’d be interested?” It was clear Snape knew he was the person. 

“I don’t, I just couldn’t resist trying, at least once.” He didn’t want to seem too eager. 

“If you can wait another hour, I’m willing to try.” It was said very offhandedly, but there was a vulnerability in his voice that bothered Harry. What had happened to the sour man he knew who kept his emotions neatly wrapped up in mystery? 

“Sure, can do,” he affirmed, taking a sip of the drink, finding it adequate. He’d been ordering various drinks all night, taking the alcohol out of all but this one, his last one, but only after testing there was nothing questionable in it, Muggle or Wizarding, just in case. This time, waiting was easy. When Snape was off duty, he sat next to Harry, taking a swig from a bottle of beer. 

“So, what exactly do we do now?” The older man was definitely showing his hand. 

“We could either stay here and chat or get out of here, whichever you prefer.” 

“I don’t live far, and you don’t seem like the type I should worry about.” He made it sound like a backhanded compliment, but Harry could tell it was more than that. 

Snape motioned for them to leave, and Harry followed the lead, heading out the door and away from the pub. They got into his building, taking the stairs up a few flights before reaching his door, numbered 311, and then the Auror was in, the first look around giving him more information about the man that he could have ever dreamt possible. Seeing the knicknacks and trinkets, the stacks and stacks of books and newspapers, the artwork on the walls, and the overall familiar yet alien scenery that told so many stories yet said nothing at all. 

“See something you like?” Snape startled Harry with his question, moving around him to the kitchen and starting on some tea. “Hope you don’t mind, it’s the only drink I keep in the house aside from the tap water.” 

“No, it’s fine. After all those drinks, I should probably have a cuppa to sober up.” It wasn’t until the word was out of his mouth that he realised the folly, but Snape didn’t comment on it directly. 

“It’s very good for that,” the older man smiled, setting a tin down on the table with a mix of different teas in bags, a cup of sugar, and a pitcher of milk, while waiting for the kettle to boil. 

“Thank you for this,” Harry said sitting down, looking through and picking a packet of earl grey, needing the boost it would give him. 

“It’s the least I could do after the patronage you supplied waiting for me.” The way he said it sounded honest, making another chip in Harry’s resolve. When the kettle whistled, Snape brought it to the table, filling the younger man’s cup first like a good host, and impressively using one hand to open up and put a bag of green tea into his own before pouring water over it. Before Harry could so much as fix his tea with the accoutrements, Snape said, “I think you can take that disguise off now, and use your real voice please, it’s disconcerting hearing that horrid accent when I know it’s you Potter.” 

At first, the Auror didn’t know what to do, shocked that he was so easily and quickly found out, even with the best of Guises. But he recovered quickly, pulling his wand and showing himself, a scowl on his face as he asked, “So, how’d you know?” 

“There are wards on my door jamb that you set off, otherwise I wouldn’t have known. After that, it was simple deduction, and since you didn’t change your overall build or height, I made an educated guess,” Snape said in a very nonchalant way. 

“Do you want me to leave then?” Harry stared into his tea, watching it steep. 

“No, but I’d like to know what you want with me.” 

“I’m not sure.” Thinking about it now, Harry didn’t know what really led him to follow Snape like he had, other than making sure he wasn’t imagining anything. Now that he knew, he didn’t know what was next. Looking up, he found a calm but questioning look on that familiar face. 

“You’re still such an open book, even without legilimency. You know I’m still alive and well, so what else could you want from me?” Snape wasn’t angry or annoyed, and it was getting to Harry. 

“I told you, I don’t know.” 

“Really, after everything, you have nothing to say to me?” He stirred a spoonful of sugar into his tea and Harry thought the action, with what he was saying, seemed much like Dumbledore used to.

“I guess not.” It was odd, how easily he said that, as if it were true. The older man seemed thoughtful, taking a drink of his tea. They sat in relative silence for a good ten minutes before Harry asked, “Now what?” 

Snape looked at him a moment before saying, “If you’ve got nothing for me, then I want to ask you some questions, and I’m hoping for honest answers.” 

“Okay.” Harry wasn’t sure where this was headed, but the way he’d said that garnered interest. 

“Are you going to try and take me back to Britain and the Wizarding World?” 

“No.” He didn’t have to think about it before answering.

“Is that because you don’t want to deal with the fallout it would cause,” he paused, “or something else?” 

“Both. You’ve also made a life here, I don’t want to ruin that.” 

“So you think I’ve earned something?” 

“And then some,” he said with a half-smile. 

“Ah!” He paused, tapping a finger on his upper lip. “So why else did you follow me?” 

“To see for myself, I guess.” 

“I would probably do the same thing, were I you. But was the interest in me only that?” 

Harry froze. “What interest?” 

Snape snorted. “Really, you were very convincing. I honestly thought I was bringing home a catch, you were that good.” 

It took Harry a moment to realise what he was hearing. “I thought you loved my Mum?” 

“Loving a woman doesn’t mean one is straight, and loving a man doesn’t mean one is gay.” 

“Have you always been bisexual?” 

“Probably,” he said nonchalantly, watching Harry take a drink of tea before saying, “i suppose I realised it when I developed a fleeting crush on your father.” Tea sprayed across the table, making Snape laugh heartily. 

“You,” Harry wiped up the table, scowling, “did that on purpose.” 

“When you’re my age, you learn to get your kicks where you can.” 

“Nice to know I’m good for a laugh still. I thought I’d lost it in training.” 

“So you feel you’ve grown up in training?” 

“Yeah, and I guess the war helped some.” 

“I bet.” Snape took a sip, his eyes unfocused for a moment. “So, how are the Weasleys?” 

Harry hadn’t expected that, but didn’t let it show. “Doing well.” 

“Are you still seeing Ginerva?” 

“Um…” Harry stumbled through his answer. “We broke up again, but we’re not getting back together. She’s really happy with Dean, apparently.” 

This piqued Snape’s interest, eyebrows rising. “I wonder what came between you two.” 

“It was me, of course. I can’t seem to keep anything I love for very long.” 

“Do you still love her?” 

“I thought so, but recently, I’m not so sure.” He didn’t know why he was being so honest.

“Oh, what’s happened recently?” Snape waited while Harry formulated an answer. 

“I realised I’m not attracted to women,” he said softly, like it was an admission of guilt. 

“Have you told your friends and family?” 

“Only a privileged few, including the Weasleys and my cousin Dudley.” 

“Was he the man you were with on Liberty Island?” 

“Yeah. I needed a holiday and he was willing to come along.” 

“I thought you hated them?” 

“Yeah, well, you know how my Aunt is, and my Uncle was a right monster, but Dudley eventually grew up to be a free thinker and apologised before the end of the second war. Things between all of us are different now, and they don’t seem to hate me so much.” 

“Always good to bury the hatchet, even when people are insufferable.” They shared a chuckle. 

“Now what?” Harry wanted to stay, but felt like it was time he left. 

“You never did answer if that interest was genuine or not,” Snape paused for a moment before adding, “and I still want to know.” 

“I didn’t realise I was showing that kind of interest.” Harry couldn’t keep the blush off his cheeks. 

“Ah, then it was natural interest. You know, the kind you don’t think about.” 

“I guess so,” Harry said slowly, still unsure of where this was going. 

Snape gave Harry time before saying quietly, “We could always give it a shot, see if it does something for you?” 

“For me, what about you?” Harry squeaked. 

“If I wasn’t interested, I wouldn’t have asked.” He gave a look that said so much more. 

Harry wasn’t sure how to take that, being propositioned by Severus Snape of all people, but he was honestly considering it. “I’m interested in seeing where this might go,” he finally admitted. 

Snape’s grin was contagious, and somehow calmed the remaining worries Harry had. The younger man was led into the bedroom and given first serve to the lavatory so he could get ready, where he took more time calming down than anything else, able to strip quickly, leaving only his pants and glasses on. Walking back out, he was surprised to find Severus already in the bed, his waist covered, waiting. 

“I thought this would be easier for you,” the man said softly, moving the blanket for his guest. 

“Thanks,” Harry slipped in, surprised by how natural this felt. He waited a beat before asking, “So what now?” 

Snape seemed prepared. “A kiss would be a good start.” He had turned towards Harry but didn’t make any other move. 

“Okay,” and he leaned over enough to press their lips together. 

Everything afterwards was easy, automatic, routine; Harry almost couldn’t believe how electric he felt! However it was that Snape knew just how to extract strange and wonderful new noises the younger man didn’t know he could make that got him to really relax, his mind no longer thinking and he was just feeling. One callous hand snaked under the blankets and teased his cock through his pants, the sensation arousing and exciting; Harry tried exploring too, starting at the firm chest and moving to the supple back muscles which moved as Snape arranged himself above. For the first time in a long time, the Auror felt safe like this, even on his back, and he put his trust in this very much alive man to lead him in making them both feel alive. 

“That was fantastic,” Harry sighed as he snuggled under the blankets, holding onto Severus’ waist while the man was sitting up again. 

“It was much more interesting than I expected for your first time.” He sounded droll but Harry caught the smile. 

“Thanks for being patient with me again.” 

“Think nothing of it Harry, I thoroughly enjoyed this.”

“Yeah, about that… You asked about me before but…” He couldn’t finish that, it was clear what happened; he was too stunned to really think of any questions after being found out and there was something about this new Severus Snape that threw him off. 

“You were rather vulnerable before, much like when you were younger. What did it?” 

Harry thought about that a moment; what was it about this man that had always got to him? There was so much between them—from the first time their eyes met to that night in the Shrieking Shack when he thought the man was dying in his arms—and sometime after that, whatever hatred had been between them had dissipated, leaving something else behind. This man was almost alien to Harry now, but that interest he had had there from the start, in some form or another, so he supposed he was just more interested than ever because now he got a chance he never thought possible and there was even more for him discover suddenly that made the chance more than he ever could have hoped for. 

“You always confused me and death hasn’t changed that.” That wasn’t the answer he expected to give but it was good enough. 

“Well, you used to piss me off like your father but you also impressed me like your mother, it was quite the conundrum. But you aren’t either of them, and I see that now. After all these years, I see things a lot clearer than I used to.” He laughed, a small bark with a bit of a rumble that Harry heard start in his stomach. “I was a right bastard and there was no excuse for it really, but I got away with it because I was useful so I took advantage of that and I regret it now. Didn’t matter in the end I suppose, there are probably still students who have nightmares about my class, wouldn’t you think?” 

Harry wasn’t sure why Severus was asking him, but he answered. “Maybe.” 

“It would be fitting if you were one of them, I think.” 

“I’m not, never was actually.” 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah. If my Aunt and Uncle couldn’t give me nightmares, you had no chance.” 

Severus looked at him with a perplexing look for a long moment before smirking. “Petunia always did know how to get under people’s skin, even as a child, and I bet that oaf of a husband was worse. Your memories were very clear that she hadn’t changed from when I knew her, so if she’s kinder now, I cannot help wondering what happened.” 

“It was when they had to go into hiding because of the war.” He noticed Snape didn’t even flinch at the name. “When the Order explained that threats had been made towards them and even my leaving didn’t mean they were safe, it was like something in her snapped. She knew more than she ever told my Uncle and he was yelling that he wouldn’t be forced out of his home by some freak madman when she screamed at him that they were. I’d never heard her look or sound like that, but she told me later that she’d been thinking about Mum and how she lost her sister to Voldemort and didn’t want to lose the rest of her family too. When I finally went to check on them after everything, they had moved back to Privet Drive and things had changed.” 

“Yes, facing the prospect of death does change people.” The air chilled and it felt like they were holding their breath for a moment before a strange tone started playing. Severus reached to the little cell phone on his nightstand and answered it. 

“Hello? Yes I’m fine… yeah, that’s why I left… No, I put in for tomorrow off last week… Well I guess I’m coming in then, it’s usually our busiest night of the week and we’ll already be two short if I don’t… No, it’s not a big deal Keith, see you tomorrow night… Yeah… night.” He put the phone down and sighed. “Sometimes that job isn’t worth the hassle.” 

“Bet it’s still better than keeping a bunch of kids from blowing up cauldrons in a dank dungeon.” 

“Depends on the night, but yes, even breaking up fights is easier than that.” He smiled and Harry smiled back; somehow this felt more right the longer they were together. 

“So, going to lay back down or are you going to sleep sitting up?” He yawned and that got Severus to yawn too. 

“Give me a moment, I have to do something first.” 

Harry was slightly put out when his arms were extracted from around the man and even pouted as Severus left the bed, but he didn’t get a chance to see what that something was because his former professor left the room. It was a one bedroom flat with a small kitchen, a clawfoot tub in the lav, and windows facing another building, but the way the bed sat made it impossible to see into the main room but gave a perfect view to the tub, so unless Severus was going to shower, Harry had nothing to see. He heard running water, what sounded like the fridge opening and closing, and a sound he didn’t know how to identify but was a strange pop followed by plastic clicking. When Severus came back, he had a glass of water for Harry and had turned off all the lights in the other room but the one above the stove. His glasses were set next to the glass.

“If you snore, tell me now.” 

“Um, I don’t know.” He hadn’t expected that kind of request. “No one’s ever told me I do and I was always told to be quiet by the Dursleys so I don’t think so.” 

The look on Severus’ face at that moment, and the way he turned towards Harry, was confusingly protective, something the younger man didn’t expect. In fact, none of this was expected but he found himself reluctant to give up this newfound intimacy. Somehow, they found a position together that was comfortable and soon, Harry was asleep. 

* * *

The next morning when he woke, he was alone in bed and he could hear activity in the kitchen. He got up, pulled his pants on, and headed out to find out what smelled so good. Seeing Severus cooking wasn’t so strange, it felt similar to potion making, but his being topless was a strangely arousing sight. As he got close, a sideways smile was directed at Harry and he was directed to sit at the small table. After a few more minutes, a plate with bangers and scrambled eggs was set in front of him. They began eating, the sound of life outside being overshadowed by the sounds of cutlery on dishware. 

“How’d you sleep?” 

Harry looked up at the unexpected question. “Softer than the bed at our hotel.” 

“Best compliment it has ever gotten,” he chuckled. 

“I meant what I said yesterday, I won't be telling anyone about this." 

"Thank you." A bony hand took his rugged one. "I would certainly hate to move, I quite like it here." 

Harry thought about that, and how easygoing being with Severus had been thus far. He thought about how he'd found the man attractive at the pub, but realised that wasn't the first time he'd thought about his former professor in that manner, nor likely the last now. Before, when he believed this man dead, it had been easy to push aside those feelings and the harsh reality they represented, but now, everything was different, and the world rotated on a new axis. The Auror wasn't sure now if he could return to his life with the family he'd built when he knew it meant leaving a piece of the family he wanted across an ocean. 

When he left the apartment a few hours later, sweatier but all the more satisfied, Harry Potter began to think about his future seriously for the first time since the start of sixth year when his chance to be an auror opened up again. And he noticed a new text from an unsaved number that just said, " _I'd like to keep in touch, if you're willing. - S_ ".


	3. Addition 02 - Hermione Granger - 2005

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art embedded with permission of the artist snapeislife as [posted on tumblr](https://snapeislife.tumblr.com/post/616509915560853504).

George was the one who finally convinced her to take a holiday, even though all the Weasleys and Harry had been trying for months. Ron thought they should go as a couple, Ginny wanted a girl’s only trip, and yet she knew it should be alone. There was no other reason for a holiday except to relax, and with no one with her, Hermione would be able to take in the sights she wanted without worrying about boring anyone. The real question was where? She thought long and hard, deciding that if she was going to do this, she would do it right, including relaxing the way everyone wanted as well as her own way, and thus needed to pick somewhere that met both requirements, so Hawaii was her choice. 

She arrived on the main island early in the evening, but with how long the flight was, she immediately went to her hotel and crashed, sleeping until around 6 the next morning, feeling refreshed and now ready to start her adventure. Breakfast was being served when she got down, having just started, and as she had the same thing every morning at home, Hermione tried all the things she either had never seen before or usually avoided. Finding a few things she liked about the new fare, it made an interesting start to the day. 

Her first stop was the Pearl Harbor Memorial, wanting to take in the history she barely knew. Second was a store to buy more appropriate clothes, all of hers were just thick enough to make her too warm, as well as a swimsuit after somehow forgetting hers, probably when Ron started helping her pack. Third was lunch, local fare from a place she'd been recommended to by the clothes shop clerk, best described as earthy but sweet. Fourth was the beach, and since she swore to Ginny she wouldn't try surfing until the redhead was with her, she had to search for the best place to watch, for study purposes of course. 

That part was easy and, being the off-season, there were more locals than she expected. She rented an umbrella and laid out her towel, taking out the book she bought at the Memorial on the attack and local aftermath. With a water bottle nearby, she felt like she was truly relaxed, and alternated reading a page or two and watching the surfers. Eventually a man with dark hair and barely tanned skin in a purple bodysuit who seemed very experienced stood out and Hermione began watching him exclusively. After he’d been out there for a few good waves, he came back to the beach and seemed to walk right towards her. The closer he got, the better look she had, and when it became clear the man she’d been watching looked _almost exactly like Severus Snape_ , her book fell to the towel below her and she was up on her feet in surprise. 

“Are… are you real?” The question came out of her mouth before she could think of something better.

“Yes Ms Granger; it is still Ms Granger, right?” He didn’t seem surprised she was there (he had been an excellent spy after all), and calmly bent down for a towel to dry off his short chopped hair before the rest. 

“Yes, I’m still unwed.” It was surreal, talking about her possible marriage status and not the fact that he was a dead man surfing. 

“Ah, so you’re enjoying a holiday alone then?” He sounded genuinely interested and watched her with bright eyes. 

“Correct,” she nodded. “And you?” This had the feeling of a strange sort of old acquaintance meeting randomly on the street kind of situation. 

"I'm on holiday as well, although I've spent most of it here." He looked out to the ocean with an impassive expression, exuding a calm energy Hermione hadn't expected. 

"How long have you been here?"

"A week, but I have almost another week before I go home. And you?"

"I arrived yesterday, but will leave in five days."

"Well, it's a big island, so we might see one another again; would you like to join me for dinner?" 

If someone had told Hermione that Snape was alive after she witnessed his gruesome death, she wouldn't have believed it, and yet here he was, asking to dine with her seven years later. She was so curious, and knew he was too, that she accepted and they exchanged contact information, him on the slimmest mobile phone she'd ever seen and her with the temporary one she'd gotten for the trip at the airport. After he left, she tried to get back to the book, but was distracted with trying to make sense of his still being alive. When she finally headed back to her hotel, her phone buzzed with a text message from him about meeting at a restaurant that she would have to look up when she got back, wanting to at least freshen up a bit and put on something less casual than a one piece swimsuit and a floral print muumuu she had to buy. Reluctantly, she realised she was nervous.

* * *

Hermione, in one of her new summer dresses, was greeted outside the restaurant by a casually suited Snape—the shirt white with blue stripes, the jacket and pants a dark blue, and sandals on his feet—and he lead her inside, nodding to the hostess before they went to the bar. Finding a table in the back for as much privacy as possible, they put in an order and then just sat there, neither sure how to start. After awhile, she got impatient with the silence and sighed.

“So how did you survive?” She had to know, or at least try to find out.

“I’m not telling,” Snape chuckled and Hermione huffed. 

“Then what are you _willing_ to tell me?” 

“I have been living in the continental United States since my apparent death, not working with children, nor have I made any significant contact with the American magic community.” She could tell he mentioned of the Wizarding world intentionally. 

"I see. If you're worried I'm going to say something, don't. Clearly you left on purpose and it isn't my place to drag you back or send someone after you." He visibly released a breath.

"That does ease my worries, thank you." 

"I suppose that's why you asked me out." She realised how that sounded and quickly added, "Not that I think you meant anything untoward…"

"Relax Hermione," he chuckled, and it was the first time she'd ever heard him say her first name. "I know what you mean, although I'm surprised you're here alone and without any sign of a ring tying you down. With how close the three of you were, I expected you would have gotten with Potter or Weasley by now."

"Ron has proposed and Harry is like a brother," she said defensively. 

“My apologies, that was rather out of line.” It was said with sincerity and sheepishly looked down at his drink, a whiskey sour. 

“It’s fine, I should be used to it by now. Even Ron thought I had feelings for Harry multiple times over the years. But we’re not here to talk about them, we’re here… well, I don’t know, really.” She wished this didn’t feel so much like a date. 

“Well… um…” Hermione was struck with the thought that she’d never seen or heard Snape at a loss for words like this before. “I know you said you’ve only been here one day, but what have you done thus far on the island?” 

The simplicity of the question and its answer eased her worries and she began talking slowly but getting more animated as he asked questions, the two beginning to talk of what he’d been doing and the plans they both had for the rest of their holidays, eventually deciding that, for what plans they shared, they might as well do together. Hermione wasn’t sure who suggested it but felt it happened sometime after he asked her to call him Severus when she accidently used his former title and got embarrassed. Afterwards, he walked her back to her hotel, almost walking away before taking her hand and kissing it lightly. The blush on her face went all the way down to her chest. 

* * *

They went all around the island, Severus even going so far as to rent them a car for many of the longer trips, and only reluctantly let her help out with the cost, at first protesting because “I would have done the same if I were alone”. Hermione sometimes caught herself watching him, especially on the drives, and kept thinking about how easygoing being around him felt. He was an intellectual like herself, but not so strung up that he forgot to enjoy the scenery around them, and something about that was appealing, attractive even. She found herself flirting even, always feeling embarrassed afterwards because the man was old enough to be her father and couldn’t possibly be interested in her whatsoever. That’s why, three days before she left, it was surprising that he asked her to dinner and took her to a clearly romantic restaurant, wore shoes this time with the casual suit and picked her up at her hotel holding a single, thornless, still blooming orange rose. 

“I might have faked my death but I’m not dead or blind,” he told her as she took the flower and smelled the sweet fragrance. 

“This somehow doesn’t feel real,” she whispered. 

“It is very real Hermione, of that I assure you.” 

Severus offered his arm and she laced hers through, nervous but excited. They had a private table behind a curtain and talked about all manner of things. She tried memorising each and every laugh and smile, so afraid this was going to turn out to be a dream. The rose rested in a small vase the waitress brought out of thin air, petals expanding as time passed. By the end of their meal, dessert included, Hermione was only a little tipsy but still impulsive, inviting him back to her hotel room so that the evening didn’t have to end so soon. He said he would consider it but ended up taking her back because she tripped getting out of the car, and no amount of her telling him it had everything to do with the heels and not being drunk could persuade him from taking her up. After having to valet the vehicle, he ended up staying, the two of them sitting comfortably on the couch, shoes off, and talking late into the night. 

The first time Severus kissed her, Hermione melted before deepening it with a moan as his hands began to touch her body. One cupped a breast, thumb rubbing around the hard nub, and the other sliding up her leg, under her dress, and moving her panties out of the way to tease her. It didn’t take long before she was on top of him in the throes of passion, reaching a high she hadn’t felt in what felt like years. Afterwards, as she lounged along the couch with her head in his lap and one of his hands running up and down her arm, did she finally take in exactly what had happened. It wasn’t that she regretted what they’d done, _far from it_ , only that she wondered why she looked forward to the next time. Thankfully she didn’t have long to think about that because, after he carried her to the bed, they went another round. 

“Did you plan on this when you ask me out?” Hermione couldn’t stop touching him as they laid close under the blankets, watching the sun rise through her window. 

“Of course,” Severus chuckled, his own hands running over her back and arm. “At first I wasn’t sure that you were reciprocating my interest, but the other day at the museum when you leaned against me, I knew you were.” 

“Hard not to be. You’re much more relaxed and personable now.” 

“Dying does that to a man.” She laughed at that.

“Are you ever going to tell me how you survived?” 

“No,” he said in all seriousness, “and that’s something I will take to my _real_ grave.” 

It was her turn to laugh. “Fine, you keep that allure of mystery.” 

“What are your plans when you return to England?” She hadn’t expected him to ask that, but she supposed she should have.

“I will go back to work, likely accept Ron’s proposal.” 

“Do you love him?” It was ironic that Severus was asking so shortly after they’d had sex multiple times.

“Yes, yes I do.” Of that she was sure.

“And this,” his hand on her arm squeezed lightly, “hasn’t changed that?”

“No, it hasn’t.” 

“Do you think you love him more now?” She sat up at that, looking down at him with a confused expression. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, our being together can be defined as cheating, were he to know, but I’m not about to ruin your life over this. I just wanted to be sure that we both agree that this,” he motioned between them, “ends when we part ways in a few days.” 

Hermione stared at Severus for a few moments before nodding; the last few days had been refreshing, but everything had also made her remember why she loved Ron. When she finally nodded, she also laid back against him. “Yes, I can agree to that.”

The next three days were spent in a new hotel room they booked together, staying inside the whole time by ordering food in and barely leaving the bed. It was thrilling, not just the sex but the freedom that came from giving into what felt like something otherwise forbidden. Granted, she had slept with other people than just Ron, but Hermione had never been as attracted to those guys as she found herself attracted to Severus. It was heady, being with someone who focused so much on more than her body, but she’d noticed that was what Ron had been doing recently too. And she was learning things about herself that otherwise, she wasn’t sure if she would have ever learned. 

After all was said and done, Severus drove Hermione to the airport, gave her a small bouquet of flowers (forget-me-not, white clover, and pink carnation), hugged and kissed her goodbye before she left Hawai’i and her true sexual awakening behind. 

* * *

Rose and Hugo both hung off her sides, Ron following with their shopping, as Hermione led her little family back towards their hotel. The trip to Disneyland Paris was the compromise that they came to with the kids, both of whom wanted to travel all the way to California, a trip that would have totalled almost triple the cost of their current holiday. So long as they were saving money, the couple found they could enjoy themselves. While they were walking around shopping now, most of the trip thus far had involved Rose and Hugo doing what they wanted while Hermione and Ron watched, following at a safe distance most of the time. 

During one lull, Ron off to get them a drink before the kids came out of the ride, Hermione saw Severus Snape walking towards her. He had a woman and child with him, much too old to be his in the time since they parted ways, but they looked happy together, enjoying the park. It was at that moment Rose and Hugo came rushing out from the ride to her and Ron was suddenly beside her. When Snape finally saw her, a look of surprise crossed his face before he smiled and nodded to her. She returned the nod just before hearing her husband call her name, and in the moment it took to tell him it was nothing, Snape had disappeared. 

That was the last time Hermione ever saw the man.


	4. Additon 03 - Ron Weasley - 2002

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art embedded with permission of the artist snapeislife as [posted on tumblr](https://snapeislife.tumblr.com/post/616509915560853504)

“I am not taking that case, no way no how.” Ron pounded a fist onto his desk.

“C’mon Ron, it includes a trip to Canada!” Harry didn’t seem to understand the problem.

“The fuck would I want to go there?” Wasn’t that he wouldn’t any other time of course, but after he had the moratorium on his relationship with Hermione extended because she was extending her degree to another masters, he really just wanted to relax for the weekend with some vodka and orange juice.

"it's somewhere you've never been?"

"So?"

“It’s free?” 

“So?!” 

“Well they need someone to transport the asshole back, he just came to hide here.” 

“And that’s my fault how?” His sigh was exasperated. 

“No one else is free this weekend but you.” Harry clearly had avoided bringing it up until he had to and his face showed it. 

“Okay fine, I’ll take the bastard.” Giving in was the last thing he wanted to do, but at least there was a free trip and hazard pay. “Wait, think I could get some vacation days while I’m over there?” 

“Fuck yeah, I’ll go tell Stein and get him to put in for your time off. How many days?” Harry stood up, looking eager as he waited for the response. 

“How about all of next week? Some of it can be paid time off too, I’ve earned it.” That also gave him a chance to practice French and French Canadian, as surprising it was that he could learn languages at all.

* * *

After hunting the last of the Death Eaters, standard procedure for transporting prisoners included silencing charms—something Ron would be eternally grateful for—and it was one of the best things Shacklebolt had implemented as head of the Aurors. Once he left the degenerate at the Canadian Mounties office, which were like Aurors in every way but hiding in plain sight of Muggles for the convenience of better communication with their government, Ron Weasley started his first real holiday in three years. 

He had made the plans already, flying on a Muggle plane from Toronto, where he had been sent, to Vancouver BC; being summertime, he wanted to go see the whales the West Coast was known for and finally see another ocean. Granted, because of the time of day, he had to stay in a hotel overnight before his flight was scheduled, but it gave him the chance to walk around downtown Toronto and see how Canadians lived. It was certainly interesting and he covertly stopped a mugging or two before going back to the hotel. 

Airports in Canada weren’t much easier to deal with than the UK and the monotony of it almost put him back to sleep. At least the flight he picked wasn't too early nor too late in the morning. Getting a white chocolate latte from Starbucks after he passed inspection helped wake him up, the extra shot a perfect kick to the senses. Ron didn’t know what he should be doing, and he had never really gotten into playing any games on the mobile that Hermione and Harry had insisted he get so that was out of the question, but he was getting bored so he went to the store and bought a book that looked interesting and shamelessly starting reading it in the waiting area for the flight. 

Being one of the first to arrive there, Ron took a seat near the door, since he was in first class and would be getting on right away, while others slowly filled the space. When they announced that boarding would begin, he got ready and gladly entered the walkway. His seat was in the middle of the area, two seats on each side, and he had picked the aisle. Nothing like being able to get to the loo when needed thousands of metres in the air, especially if he got tipsy or just drank too much soda, which he was prone to when strictly in Muggle areas. Hermione’s parents always gave him a hard time about it too, but he was trying not to think about them or his on-again-off-again girlfriend. Getting back to his book, which was surprisingly interesting, Ron barely paid attention as the other passenger who would be sitting in the window seat arrived and put his own luggage into the overhead compartment. 

“I expected this might happen at some point but four years is much too soon,” an all too familiar voice drawled quietly from the seat next to him. He froze, the book dropping awkwardly into his lap and closing, losing the page he was on. 

“Snape?!” He whispered harshly, checking that no one else around was paying them any attention in the covert way he was trained. 

“Well that’s not the name I go by anymore, but yes. And don’t worry, we can pass for old friends or something if you stop being so tense.” He seemed relaxed but Ron could see how he was still on guard. 

“How the hell is this possible?” With his body slack, he picked up his book and put it in his messenger bag, cursing silently when he found it was caught in his seat belt. 

“Magic,” Snape quirked a smile at the joke and Ron couldn’t help the huff that came out his nose. They fell silent as the steward instructed them on safety protocol and the stewardess made sure the overhead was secure, then the flight took off and they were stuck in a metal tube flying hundreds of metres a minute towards their destination for a little over the next five hours.

“So…” Ron was as nonchalantly as possible, “you’re alive and well but what have you been doing the last four years?” If they were going to be stuck on the flight together, they might as well talk. 

“I started out in New York City after leaving the UK, but quickly decided to explore my options and I settled in Vancouver about five months later. I took up an easy set management position with one of the many filming companies there and work on all kinds of shows and movies now. My flat was too big for just me so I got dog about a year ago and named him Albus because I’ve become a sentimental sod, but apparently I’m still too cold-hearted because otherwise I wouldn’t be flying home alone right now.” Snape sounded bitter at the end of that small speech, like his old self from Ron’s memory, but it was a kind of bitterness the younger man had been feeling lately. 

“What kind of dog?” He went with the easy one, almost afraid to ask about the last thing mentioned. 

“I rescued a wonderful Welsh Corgi who has this strange beard-like tuff of hair right under his chin, otherwise I might have named him after someone else when he wouldn’t come to the name he used to have. That rascal even stopped an intruder recently but he’s very keen on being quiet company for the most part, so at least he earns his place.” Ron nodded as Snape spoke, actually listening to him for once. 

“And what shows have you worked on?” Sadly, he didn’t recognise any on the list. 

“Now that I’ve updated you on my life story, why don’t you tell me how everything is back home?” It was the simplest way to ask about the Wizarding World and moments afterwards, Snape cast a spell around them that Ron guessed made it so their conversation wasn’t heard but not outright silenced. “Don't worry, if anyone tries listening too closely, they'll get a small headache or ringing ears, maybe both,” Snape smiled in an out of character and strangely mischievous way. 

“If you say so,” and Ron launched into a small tirade of everything, which for him unfortunately included ending on his issues with Hermione. "And she wants to focus on her education first, I get that, but dammit if I don’t want to also spend time with her like we used it. She can study all she wants, I have no problem sitting nearby and doing paperwork or something, but no, she’s got to live on campus and in an all-girls dormitory so I can’t even visit or maybe spend the night,” he blushed when he realised that not only was he talking with someone he thought was dead, but it was like they were old friends or something, and he even seemed interested in what Ron was saying! 

“Have you told her how you feel?” He didn’t know why the man sounded genuinely concerned, but he didn’t feel like questioning it. 

“More than once, but it feels like she doesn’t want to listen. Every time I get met with ‘this is for my career’ talk and I just… I don’t want to stop her from that, she supported me going for Auror training instead of going back to Hogwarts, Harry too, because we wanted to help clean up after the war ended, catching the remaining Death Eaters and all. They also needed people badly, so Shacklebolt was fine pushing us through without degrees, but after she supported me, it would be wrong of me not to support her, right?” 

“True, turnabout is fair play as the saying goes, but were the both of you still close while you were in training?” If Ron hazarded a guess, he’d say that something happened to Snape recently similar to his troubles and, with his guard down, he was being extremely helpful. It was entirely out of character for the man he knew, but nearly dying and living a completely different life might have changed the greasy git for the better. 

“Yeah, we all stayed at Grimmauld Place, Ginny and Hermione would floo to Hogwarts every morning when Harry and I left for the Ministry. It was a perfect arrangement at the time.” 

There was a long pause before Snape responded, and it seemed as if he put thought into it. “You need to sit her down and give her an ultimatum, otherwise she might never understand how you feel. People like her, and I was just like her at that age, are very focused on an end goal and can easily miss things in the middle, especially when they aren't planned ahead of time.” 

Ron just stared ahead, soaking in the advice, so he could take the time to formulate what to say next. “Thank you, and sorry for dumping this on you, I am on this holiday not to think about it and I end up spilling my guts to a dead man.” 

“It happens to everyone, don't worry. If I was upset, you would have known earlier. Besides, it helped me get my mind off my recent breakup, so maybe I owed it to you,” he laughed.

“Breakup?” The dungeon bat dated people in the afterlife? 

“Yeah, it's why I was in Toronto. My ex just up and moved without a word and I went to confront him face to face.” 

“Him?” That didn't sound right.

“Yes, I'm gay.” Snape said it so effortlessly, so naturally that it just had to be true. 

“What about Harry's mum?” 

“She was like a sister to me, my best friend, so of course I was protective and followed her like a puppy, but I knew I was gay rather young, and you must know it wasn't something one could be open about in the Wizarding World.” 

“Oh, yeah… I remember having to explain to Harry and Hermione that when it was revealed Dumbledore was gay, people weren't surprised so much at who the man was but that it was a man.” That actually explained a lot about the added secrets around Snape when he didn't have to be a bachelor all his life. 

“Yes, it was one of those things Albus was never sure about and I let everyone believe I was romantically or sexually interested in Lily because it protected me.” 

“What about your Patronus; isn't that from a deep _romantic_ love?” Ron realised after asking how personal that had been to bring up, but Snape didn't seem to notice or care.

“I... I thought so too but it has never changed since it took that form, even now.” He seemed lost in thought.

Ron shook his head in disbelief but he also couldn't doubt it. Snape wasn't lying, he could tell that much, and he had known other siblings who had the same Patronus, like George, not change. “Well, maybe you're a very special case.” 

“Thanks, I think,” but Snape smiled. “So you're on holiday, what made you come to Canada?” 

So Ron explained the criminal transport and how he was just so confused and overwhelmed with everything that he needed the break, which led him to taking up the most relaxing and interesting thing he could find, whale watching in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. 

“I've never done that either, but everyone says it's great.” The older man angled his body a bit in the seat towards Ron, who noticed the seat belt was still buckled around his waist.

“Want to go with me then? I could use the company.” He turned towards Snape now, and the offer was honest. 

“I'd like that, thank you,” and the pleased look hid the pain in his eyes from earlier. 

Five hours passed quickly and they talked about all sorts of things, like the shows Snape worked on, favourites in foods and drinks, and even a few books, with Ron pulling out the one he bought to show the man, who seemed interested after seeing the author. 

“Who is he?” Ron didn't know many Muggles by name, but Snape explained. 

“He's an actor, stage and screen, and a really nice guy too.” 

“Wait, you've met him?” 

“Yes, he was just a guest on one of the shows I work on and there was a movie I helped with.” 

“That’s… wow.” Ron might not know these people or how the film industry worked, but he was still impressed. 

“Don't seem so gobsmacked, he only talked to me because he wasn't expecting someone working so far from home.” Snape sounded almost like he didn't view it as a big deal. 

“What about your ex boyfriend; did he talk to you because of the accent?” Snape stiffened but shook his head. 

“He approached me in a pub when some coworkers had convinced me to go out drinking with them. I thought he was sweet, the way he seemed intimidated the moment he got there, found out he had been dared after letting slip he thought I was attractive.” His voice was hollow and he had a faraway look on his face. “But seven months must not have mattered that much because when he was offered a job transfer, he didn't even have the courtesy to tell me, as if I wouldn’t support him or something.” 

“I’m sorry, if that means anything. He sounds like a right git.” 

Snape laughed. “Not more than I was?” 

“Yeah, definitely. Couldn’t even tell you he wanted to or when he was leaving, that’s just cruel beyond reason.” 

“Thank you. I guess we both have relationship issues to deal with.” 

“Well, yours seem to be dealt with.” 

“I suppose.” 

He nodded and relaxed some more as the steward came by offering snacks and drinks, which Snape bought for the both of them. By then, the other passengers stopped caring to eavesdrop with the headaches and ear-ringing, so Snape took down the charm. The rest of their conversation was simple things, nothing they cared about being overheard, and soon enough they were arriving at Vancouver. Getting off the plane and grabbing their bags took no time at all so Ron offered to pay for lunch if Snape was willing to go. Deciding to get something simple, they went with Italian, asking customer service for the best reviewed place in Little Italy. He watched as the supposed dead man hailed them a taxi from in front of the departures gate; it just was unseemingly how easily this once imposing man naturally fit into the Muggle world. 

Once they were inside and seated near the back window, a shaded view of the street to their side, did Ron really take the time to get a look at Snape. His graying hair was still shoulder length but he kept it back in a queue, a stray lock tucked behind his left ear, which showed off the piercings he’d gotten in the past four years. That wasn’t exactly a look he’d expected to see look good on the man, but somehow Snape pulled it off. 

"I never asked, but what is the name you use now?" He realised the oversight after the waitress took their orders. 

"Tobias Prince." Ron cocked his head, remembering something Harry once said about Snape’s family and life. 

"That makes sense, I suppose. Are you at all involved with the Canadian Wizarding World?" 

"Very little, only when absolutely necessary for potion making." And that was the last thing said about Snape’s former life, the rest of their discussions were about how he’d been living, as well as how Ron’s life had been going. 

* * *

Ron hadn’t expected it, but the rest of his holiday was spent with his own personal guide in Snape, who wasn’t insistent about doing do and genuinely appeared to enjoy showing off the sights. They went to see the whales, walk through the woods, stroll the streets, and somehow ended up going through every antique store they came across in utter fascination. It was something Ron had started doing back in London after he realised that Muggles still used some of the things that the Wizarding World did but that their innovations usually were to make things safer, either for the people or environment, and he found himself learning more about the non-magical world through antique shoppes than he was from the history books Hermione kept recommending. 

After a few days at the hotel, along with calling to extend his holiday, Ron had been offered to stay with Snape after the week long road trip they were planning down into the US. That made it so he wouldn’t have to worry about his stuff or not being able to find another hotel at such a low rate once they returned, and seeing as the former spy had a guest room, he would at least have a bed too. The drive was nice too, and they took every detour that presented itself, like finding a tulip festival going on and seeing row after row of colourful blooms in half a dozen fields with mountains in the distance. It was a sight Ron thought only existed in Europe, but apparently the festival and tulip farms had been around in that area for over a hundred years. Snape bought a few bulbs to take back home, thinking he’d like to start a small garden on the Juliet balcony his flat had. 

They spent two days in Seattle, one of those with the intention of spending all day at Pike Place Market. Snape mentioned it to Ron when planning, and having remembered hearing about there being a Wizarding side, they decided to go through all of both the magical and non-magical sides. The only place they avoided was the “original” Starbucks, the line being too long, but did get their coffee from another one nearby. A trip up the Space Needle was also done, Snape finding the history more interesting while Ron was drawn in by the views. With mountains to one side, water on the other, and a few more mountains beyond the water, it was picturesque in a way the younger man wasn’t sure how to explain, so he bought a camera (not disposable, Snape told him the horrible quality always were) and began detailing the rest of their trip through pictures. 

The trip continued south, stopping by Mt St Helens, an event that Snape remembered happening because it made even Wizarding news worldwide, and continuing until they got to Portland, where they stayed for another two days. Found themselves still going through every antique store they could find, but also every bookstore too. Somehow this city had more of those than anywhere either had ever been in before. 

“What kind of genius decided that bacon belonged on a maple bar?” Ron eventually asked after they’d stood in a long line, not knowing what it was for and finding it just led to a donut shop. Snape just took another bite of his and pointed to a sticker on a sign that read “Keep Portland Weird”. It was the only answer he could give. 

Their drive back was faster than down as they didn’t take so many detours, and once back to Snape’s flat, Ron was able to have a final week before his holiday was over and he had to return to London. After the trip, he realised that Snape hadn’t gone back to work, and when asked, was told his job on set had been pushed back due to some issue with some of the cast, but he was currently on call. As the redhead had nothing else to do, he helped the older man with little things here and there around the flat. Putting up new art and other decorations that had been collected on their trip, along with regular spring cleaning, and soon the place looked like a cheery bachelor pad.

Together, on his last night there, they collected and disposed of all the ex-boyfriend’s things by putting them in a metal barrel on the roof to burn, eating takeaways and drinking lots of alcohol. Eventually they made it back to Snape’s flat, but Ron didn’t remember anything beyond that but strange bits and pieces, like little hints he couldn’t help making to if and when the older man would begin dating again and exactly what kind of person he was attracted to. Ron remembered his dream though, of being surrounded by his friends and family, with Snape there too, that big smile he’d finally gotten used to seeing on the long face aimed right at him. 

* * *

The next morning, finding himself in the wrong bed, very much nude, and a half hour late from the time he planned to, Ron rushed out, afraid to wake Snape but left a note, and got himself a taxi to the airport. In his missive, he mentioned that he didn't remember much from the night before except that he enjoyed himself but hoped, even if in secret to protect him, they could keep in contact. When he arrived home, there was a note on light green paper waiting for him under his door.


End file.
